Technical Abstract:
A team of ARS and NRCS scientists involved in stochastic weather generation research was formed in 1999 (Weather Simulation Team - WST) to coordinate weather generator research and development in the two agencies. Member scientists are located at ARS and NRCS locations in Boise ID, Coshocton OH, Temple TX, Tifton GA, Ames IA, and Tucson AZ, and at the NRCS National Water and Climate Center in Portland OR. The activities of the WST have a their goal to make certain that the weather generator needs identified by the NRCS through the Partnership Management Team (PMT) are met. The ARS-NRCS weather generator model, Generation of Weather Elements for Multiple Applications (GEM) provides easy access to simulated daily weather including precipitation, solar radiation, minimum and maximum temperatures, dew point and wind speed. Through the WST, GEM weather simulation is being improved by incorporation of algorithms to account for large-scale atmospheric forcings, wind direction, spatial generation of weather elements, and short-time increment storm simulation.